There was plenty to celebrate at this year’s Pave Aways Charity Ball, as 190 guests came together at Croud Meadow on Friday evening to raise an incredible £16,000+ for Alzheimer’s Society!
With so many people’s lives touched by Alzheimer’s and dementia, the evening was a fantastic way to bring our colleagues, clients, supply chain and friends together in support of a cause that means a great deal to so many of us.
And it certainly wasn’t short on entertainment.
Guests were treated to a magician, before our singing waiters revealed themselves – having successfully blended into the team and served our dinner before swapping plates for microphones! By the end of the evening, the dancefloor was in full swing and the conga line grew and grew, eventually becoming less ‘dance move’ and more like a particularly chaotic game of Snake (take a look at the full gallery below!).
The charity auction, expertly led by our MC for the evening, Shropshire Business Live’s Carl Jones, was another highlight. We had some fantastic prizes donated in advance, alongside a number of spontaneous lots that appeared on the night, helping to keep the bidding going and the fundraising total climbing.
There were some particularly spirited bidding battles for a stay at the Willey Estate shepherd’s hut and the England v Italy Six Nations rugby tickets, with guests clearly determined not to let a good prize get away without a fight!
A huge thank you goes to our incredible supply chain and fellow Shropshire businesses who donated prizes, including:Palings, Gallagher, Fowler & Gilbert, Boels, CES City Environmental Services, Dains Accountants, Jewson Shrewsbury, Staffordshire Mechanical Solutions, Jenny Wynn OBE DL, Selina Graham DL, Welfix, Shuker Group, TG Group, Parker & Wilson, Mandy Thorn MBE DL, Carl Jones, and Hatfields Shrewsbury.
We’d also like to say a huge thank you to our fantastic evening sponsors: Cartwrights Waste Disposal Services, Shropshire Mixed Concrete (SMC), JCE & Sons, and Greyroads Ltd, whose support helped make the evening possible.
The evening was also a chance to reflect on what our partnership with Alzheimer’s Society has meant over the past year. From fundraising and awareness-raising to our own Pave Aways choir visiting care homes across the region, we’ve seen first-hand the difference that music, connection and a little creativity can make.
Rachel Ford from Alzheimer’s Society said:
What’s been lovely to see is Pave Aways taking inspiration from the benefit of music and memory and making it their own, setting up a choir and visiting care homes across the area. It was so special to hear more about the difference it’s made, from residents lighting up at familiar songs to moments of connection that might not have happened otherwise.”
She added: “It’s a privilege working with Pave Aways to make a difference for everyone affected by dementia, and evenings like this are a testament to the culture of Pave Aways – vibrant, friendly and hardworking.
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
The atmosphere in the room on Friday was a brilliant reflection of that spirit. Seeing 190 people come together, get involved, bid generously, dance enthusiastically and ultimately help us raise more than £16,000 for Alzheimer’s Society made the evening one we won’t forget in a hurry.
And there was perhaps no better place to celebrate it than Croud Meadow – particularly as Pave Aways are also proud to be sponsoring Shrewsbury Town Women FC’s away shirts for the 2026/27 season.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, donated, sponsored, bid, danced, sang along. What a way to round off a fantastic year of fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society!